Nanomaterials for Sustainable Waste Conversion, Energy Production, and Environmental Applications

A special issue of Micro (ISSN 2673-8023). This special issue belongs to the section "Microscale Materials Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 319

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Interests: materials process engineering; porous materials; material characterization; kinetics; mesoporous materials; biomass and biowaste valorization; process engineering; gels as food packaging;
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Interests: catalysis; nanomaterials and nanotechnology; ceramic; composite and porous materials; oxide glasses; hybrid materials; mesoporous and phyllomorphic materials based on silicon or carbon; clay based materials; photocatalytic materials; magnetic oxide nanoparticles and zero valence iron; activated carbon materials produced from biomass; structure and physicochemical properties of materials with vibrational spectroscopic techniques; thermal analysis; porosimetry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
Interests: carbon layered materials; porous carbons; functionalization of carbon nanostructures; design, synthesis and evaluation of nanomaterials towards the (electro) catalytic performance; activated carbon materials; nanoparticles; energy storage applications; langmuir-blodgett; electron microscopies; atomic force microscopy; graphene derivatives

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, the race for novel materials development is triggered by several modern applications such as the transition to electric vechicles, high-performance batteries, the replacement of chemical-based materials with bio-based biodegradable materials, etc. The advanced novel materials invented during the last few years have opened new research avenues for medical, energy, environmental, and several other applications. Materials for energy applications, activated carbon, and graphene, as well as active food packaging, food safety, reduced food waste, alternative food preservatives, biopolymers, medical building blocks, and even materials for space exploration and new planet habitation, could possibly originate from byproducts, biomass, and biowastes. Challenges such as the climate change effect, worldwide human hunger, the 9.5 billion global population in 2050, and natural resource limitations, have created new scientific fields for novel as well as innovative materials development. One of the dominant concepts to intensify the effort to solve crucial environmental and living problems on earth's life is the valorization of biomass and biowastes. Nanomaterials exhibiting unique physicochemical properties have emerged as a transformative class of materials. Current tests have indicated that they are highly effective in addressing global environmental and energy challenges. High surface area, tunable porosity, enhanced reactivity, and superior catalytic capacity are some of the advanced properties of these materials. Such properties indicate them as ideal candidates for sustainable waste conversion, energy production, and environmental remediation.

In waste management, energy production, and environmental applications, nanomaterials facilitate the efficient conversion of organic and inorganic waste into valuable products such as biofuels, hydrogen, value-added chemicals, advanced nanocatalysts with enhanced reaction kinetics and selectivity, next-generation energy storage and harvesting systems, etc.

Their application is extended in adsorption, photocatalysis, and membrane filtration for the degradation of organic pollutants, heavy metal removal, water purification, air quality improvement, and carbon capture, as well as in fuel cells, solar cells, batteries, and supercapacitors for improved energy efficiency, stability, and sustainability.

Their involvement in production processes leads to reduced-cost products with a neutral CO2 balance in the production line.

The integration of nanomaterials into sustainable technologies paves the way for greener solutions to global challenges. However, ensuring their safe production, application, and disposal is crucial to minimizing potential environmental and health risks. Future advancements in nanomaterial design, functionalization, and scalability will further drive their role in achieving a more sustainable and cleaner world.

Dr. Constantinos Salmas
Prof. Dr. Michalis Karakassides
Dr. Nikolaos Chalmpes
Guest Editors

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micro is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Dr. Constantinos Salmas
Prof. Dr. Michalis Karakassides
Dr. Nikolaos Chalmpes
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micro is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanomaterials
  • novel materials
  • innovative materials
  • biomass valorization
  • biomass conversion
  • waste management
  • waste valorization
  • waste conversion
  • materials engineering
  • materials science
  • materials for energy
  • materials for environment

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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14 pages, 4290 KiB  
Article
Multifunctional Green-Synthesized Cu2O-Cu(OH)2 Nanocomposites Grown on Cu Microfibers for Water Treatment Applications
by Hala Al-Jawhari, Nuha A. Alhebshi, Roaa Sait, Reem Altuwirqi, Laila Alrehaili, Noorah Al-Ahmadi and Nihal Elbialy
Micro 2025, 5(3), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/micro5030033 (registering DOI) - 5 Jul 2025
Abstract
Free-standing copper oxide (Cu2O)-copper hydroxide (Cu(OH)2) nanocomposites with enhanced catalytic and antibacterial functionalities were synthesized on copper mesh using a green method based on spinach leaf extract and glycerol. EDX, SEM, and TEM analyses confirmed the chemical composition and [...] Read more.
Free-standing copper oxide (Cu2O)-copper hydroxide (Cu(OH)2) nanocomposites with enhanced catalytic and antibacterial functionalities were synthesized on copper mesh using a green method based on spinach leaf extract and glycerol. EDX, SEM, and TEM analyses confirmed the chemical composition and morphology. The resulting Cu2O-Cu(OH)2@Cu mesh exhibited notable hydrophobicity, achieving a contact angle of 137.5° ± 0.6, and demonstrated the ability to separate thick oils, such as HD-40 engine oil, from water with a 90% separation efficiency. Concurrently, its photocatalytic performance was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under a weak light intensity of 5 mW/cm2, achieving 85.5% degradation within 30 min. Although its application as a functional membrane in water treatment may raise safety concerns, the mesh showed significant antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria under both dark and light conditions. Using the disk diffusion method, strong bacterial inhibition was observed after 24 h of exposure in the dark. Upon visible light irradiation, bactericidal efficiency was further enhanced—by 17% for S. aureus and 2% for E. coli. These findings highlight the potential of the Cu2O-Cu(OH)2@Cu microfibers as a multifunctional membrane for industrial wastewater treatment, capable of simultaneously removing oil, degrading organic dyes, and inactivating pathogenic bacteria through photo-assisted processes. Full article
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18 pages, 3043 KiB  
Article
Fe-Doped ZnS Quantum Dot Photocatalysts for the Degradation of Cefalexin in Water
by Sonia J. Bailon-Ruiz, Yarilyn Cedeño-Mattei and Luis Alamo-Nole
Micro 2025, 5(3), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/micro5030031 - 22 Jun 2025
Viewed by 162
Abstract
This study reports the synthesis, structural characterization, adsorption studies, nanoscale interaction, and photocatalytic application of pure and Fe-doped ZnS quantum dots for the degradation of the antibiotic cefalexin in aqueous solution. Nanoparticles were synthesized via the microwave-assisted method, and Fe doping was introduced [...] Read more.
This study reports the synthesis, structural characterization, adsorption studies, nanoscale interaction, and photocatalytic application of pure and Fe-doped ZnS quantum dots for the degradation of the antibiotic cefalexin in aqueous solution. Nanoparticles were synthesized via the microwave-assisted method, and Fe doping was introduced at a 1% molar ratio. HRTEM images confirmed quasi-spherical morphology and high crystallinity, with particle sizes averaging 2.4 nm (pure) and 3.5 nm (doped). XRD analysis showed a consistent cubic ZnS structure. UV-vis spectra showed strong absorption at 316 nm for both samples, and PL measurements revealed emission quenching upon Fe doping. Photocatalytic tests under UV light demonstrated significantly higher degradation rates of 10 ppm cefalexin with Fe-doped ZnS, reaching near-complete removal within 90 min. Adsorption experiments revealed higher affinity and adsorption capacity of Fe-doped ZnS toward cefalexin compared to pure ZnS, as demonstrated by the Freundlich isotherm analyses, contributing significantly to enhanced photocatalytic degradation performance. High-resolution QTOF LC-MS analysis confirmed the breakdown of the β-lactam and thiazolidine rings of cefalexin and the formation of low-mass degradation products, including fragments at m/z 122.0371, 116.0937, and 318.2241. These findings provide strong evidence for the structural destruction of the antibiotic and validate the enhanced photocatalytic performance of Fe-doped ZnS. Full article
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